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LOS ANGELES -- Edwin Díaz has been under the microscope since returning to the closer role, but his struggles are just one aspect of a tough stretch for the Dodgers' bullpen.
L.A.'s relief pitching has been better this year than last, when it was the Dodgers' biggest weakness on the path to back-to-back championships. But for more than a month, the bullpen has been more volatile, combining for a 4.66 ERA in 31 games dating back to July 10.
It wasn't long ago that manager Dave Roberts proclaimed his "trust tree" of relievers to be as large as it had been in some time, but lately, there has been an air of trepidation hanging over every leverage situation. Díaz, as the closer, has been the focal point, but the inconsistency began well before he returned from surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow on July 29.
Here's a look at the factors impacting the bullpen's performance:
The ninth inning
In the three months that Díaz was on the IL, the Dodgers got by fine in his absence, converting 23 of 31 save opportunities in that span (eight blown saves in that time period is the third fewest in the Majors). They used a closer-by-committee approach, with Tanner Scott getting the ball in the vast majority of save situations.
The thought was that Díaz's return would allow the other leverage relievers to slot into more favorable lanes, with Scott shifting back to a setup role and arms like Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez also being part of the bridge to the ninth inning. But so far, the Dodgers haven't been able to see many of the benefits of their relievers having more defined roles as a result of Díaz's struggles.
Díaz has blown three saves, all in a four-game span, since returning from the IL. Even so, Roberts has said repeatedly that he feels he has no better alternative than to hand Díaz the ball in a save situation. That may seem short-sighted given how Scott performed in Díaz's place, but even the team's trustworthy arms have not been as reliable lately. Since July 29, Jack Dreyer (0.91) is the only leverage reliever with a WHIP below 1.00. Vesia (1.58), Henriquez (1.58) and Scott (1.74) have all had some shaky outings in that span.
From the top down
The success of the Dodgers' six-man rotation had a ripple effect earlier this season. Not only was the staff among the Majors' best in terms of run prevention, but the starters routinely pitched deep into games. That helped manage the workload for the bullpen, whose usage has ticked up of late.
In 94 team games before July 10, the Dodgers got 57 starts of six-plus innings from their starters (60.6%). In 31 team games since then, they have gotten 16 such starts (51.6%).
The Dodgers' rotation gained Tarik Skubal ahead of the Trade Deadline and saw Blake Snell return from the IL last week, and the six-man unit should also get Tyler Glasnow back from the IL at some point during the week of Aug. 24. As the rotation gets closer to full strength, it should have an impact on the 'pen as well.
The Ohtani effect
While Shohei Ohtani's pitching being on hold has the most direct impact on the rotation, it affects the bullpen as well. Most notably, in order to continue using a six-man rotation that does not contain Ohtani, the Dodgers have to be down a man in the bullpen. Ohtani does not count toward the team's 13-pitcher limit because of his two-way player status.
Since Ohtani returned in June 2025 from a second major surgery on his right elbow, the Dodgers have essentially viewed his contributions on the mound as free innings from the standpoint of roster construction. Not having those innings has had an adverse effect on the pitching staff as a whole.
Ohtani is getting closer to rejoining the rotation after starting a bullpen progression on Friday. His return to pitching, as well as roster expansion on Sept. 1, should have a positive trickle-down effect for the bullpen, but the Dodgers will still have to find a way to get through the next several weeks under the status quo.